Young golfers, including 2 with local ties, shine at Augusta National

QUICK FACTS:

• Martha Kuwahara of Illinois won the girls 14-15 age group
• Knox Mason of Tennessee won the boys 7-9 age group
• Maya Gaudin of Massachusetts won the girls ages 12-13 category
• Nealson Manutai of Hawaii won the boys 10-11 category
• Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y., won the girls 10-11 category
• Leo “Lion of Lava” Saito of Hawaii won the boys 12-13 category
• Ashley Kim of California won the girls 7-9 division
• Jake Sheffield of Tennessee won the boys 14-15 category

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Eighty youths competed Sunday in the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National Golf Club, and some kids with local ties ranked in the Top 10.

An Augusta native tied for second place in the boys 14-15 category.

Joe Morinelli was born in Augusta but now lives in Virginia. His grandfather worked at Augusta National, and Joe has been trying to get there for a while. With a score of 19, including 8 for driving, 6 for chipping and 5 for putting, Joe tied with Kyler Heath.

Sadly, his granddad died of cancer before getting to see Joe play at Augusta National.

Still, his relatives in Augusta plan a great reunion for him while he’s in town.

Another kid with CSRA ties, Luke Parsons, came in eighth for that age category.

It was Luke’s second time in the finals. He competed back in 2018 as a kid from Salley, S.C., placing third.

This time around, he placed eighth in the boys 14-15 category with a total score of 15, including a 7 for driving, a 5 for chipping and a 3 for putting.

To get here, he scored 156 total points – the highest score of the qualifier – at the regional level at The Bear’s Club in Florida, where he’s moved.

After he finished on Sunday, he said he felt more at ease than his first time here.

“It was still a little nerve-wracking, but I think it being my second time, I know how the competition works and it eases the pressure a little bit,” he said.

He likes the pressure, though. Asked what he loves about Drive, Chip and Putt, he said:

“Just pressure, you know? If you get one bad shot, it can mess up your placement but that’s what makes it fun.”

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This year’s winners

Around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Martha Kuwahara of Illinois won the girls 14-15 age group with a total score of 24, She scored 10 for driving, 6 for chipping and 8 for putting. She said she dedicated her victory to her grandfather.

She was in awe of Augusta National.

“It’s such an amazing experience,” she said. “All the pros have been here and I really think this tournament gives a good experience to the future pros and letting people know that there’s kids out here that have the skill.”

She said she was pulling for Rose Zhang in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which concluded Saturday with Zhang victorious.

“I mean, because she’s won so many tournaments and she goes to Stanford, that’s one of my dream schools. She just plays there and she’s pretty smart too. I just look up to her,” Martha said.

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Around 10 a.m. Sunday, Knox Mason of Tennessee won the boys 7-9 age group after a playoff against Jacob Eagan.

Knox already has a lot of experience with golf, since he said he started playing when he was 3 years old.

He says putting is the hardest aspect of the game for him. Yet he won the putting phase of the competition.

“I was just lining up my ball and then I hit it and then I got 2 foot 10 inches away,” he said. “I had to go into a playoff and had to make the putt to win and then I made it. "

It was his first time at Augusta National. His impression?

“It’s beautiful,” he said, adding that it’s “even better” than what he’s seen of it on TV.

Around 10:30 a.m., Maya Gaudin of Massachusetts won the girls ages 12-13 category with a total score of 26. That included 8 for driving, 9 for chipping and 9 for putting.

It was an amazing journey for Maya, who was adopted after being born in a remote Ethiopian village.

She said it was “very surreal” to win the title.

“I can’t believe it. Just coming here was surreal and then winning is on a whole ‘nother level. I was very, very, very nervous on the last putt but it all went well.”

The desire to reach Augusta National helped drive her competition.

“I’ve been watching the Masters, I’ve been watching the Drive, Chip and Putt and I’ve always wanted to come to Augusta,” she said. “It’s one of the best golf courses in the world and that drove me to practice to try to play better.”

She had some advice for other girls who want to pursue their dreams in golf:

“The advice I would have for the girls out there is just try your best, don’t really stress about it,” she said. “Some girls start much later, some girls start much earlier. I had the opportunity to start earlier but just drive yourself and try your best and see how it goes.”

Around 11 a.m., Nealson Manutai of Hawaii won the boys 10-11 category with a total score of 23, including 10 in driving, 98 in chipping and 4 in putting.

Golf runs in the family for Nealson, who’s related to Masters alum and 2023 competitor Tony Finau, calling him “Uncle Tony.”

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Winning is something he’s wanted for a while, and toward that end, Nealson practices every day.

“It’s really cool winning here at the Drive, Chip and Putt. I’ve tried for this tournament five times but I couldn’t make and then this year, I made it and I took home the trophy,” he said.

He said Finau has been “really pushing me to keep going and to keep working hard.”

Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y., won the girls 10-11 category with a total score of 22, which includes 8 for driving, 10 for chipping and 4 for putting.

For any other girls out there who want to compete, she said: “Don’t think about it too much and just play your best. Be you and enjoy the experience while it lasts.”

Leo Saito of Hawaii – whose nickname is “Lion of Lava” – won the boys 12-13 category with a total score of 21 after a playoff against Aarav Lavu. Leo’s total included 2 for driving, 10 for chipping and 9 for putting.

For Leo, winning the title is a real confidence-builder.

“Confidence goes up,” he said. “The more confidence you have, the more putts you can make the more confidence you have to make any shot on the golf course.”

Around 12:30 p.m., Ashley Kim of California won the girls 7-9 division with a total score of 23, including 10 for driving, 8 for chipping and 5 for putting.

The most fun part for her:

“Seeing my name on that leaderboard and when my face was on the screen and said I was the champion.”

Jake Sheffield of Tennessee won the boys 14-15 category with a total score of 22, which included 9 for driving, 7 for chipping and 6 for putting.

Being at Augusta National was a dream come true for him.

“Well it’s obviously heaven,” he said. “It’s a lot hillier than I thought it’d be, and this grass almost doesn’t seem real. It’s just perfect. For a golfer it’s just perfect.”

About the competition

This was the ninth Drive, Chip and Putt competition. It began 10 years ago but wasn’t held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Conducted in partnership with the U.S. Golf Association, Masters Tournament and PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age divisions. The three-pronged competition tests the skills essential to playing the game – accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.

Results of the 10 regional qualifiers – the third and final stage leading to the 2023 national finals – yielded nine returning competitors, including Martha, Luke and Leo.

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